Author: Narelle Lyons

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Solar Panel Bag

Customer: “I was wondering whether you would be able to make a bag/cover for a folding solar panel I use when I am travelling. I was thinking about getting it made out of similar material to a horse rug, canvas outer with a heavy felt liner to protect the panel from damage when it is bouncing around in the back of my van. The panel is about 700x1000mm and about 50mm thick.”

Naz: “I would do that like the firepit bags I have been doing lately, although bigger. Just a flat bag with velcro across the top and handles that are stitched all the way around. The bag would be a bit larger in dimension to allow for the 50mm thickness. I have attached a photo of one of the fire pit bags. I can line it with horse rug wool fabric.”

23/05/22: These are soon to be a product for sale on the website as we have been doing a lot as custom orders. They are costing about $150 – $250 dependent on size and we have sourced a recycled wool lining. Please contact us for orders.

Solar panel bags are now available on the website.

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Small Canvas Tarp

Customer: “Hi again, Just looking through the website, saw the tire change mat. Could I please get something 1000×600, as that’s the size tarp I use under my hammock, so I don’t step on slugs in the morning, and keeps the gear, I don’t string up, off the ground, be able to strap it to the molle be great too. Just a thought for now and to see if it’s possible, the tarp has died and I was to get another, just buying a plastic sheet makes no sense .”

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Custom Spanner Roll

Custom Spanner Roll

The brief:

We need a replacement tool roll for our workshop spanner set. The clear pockets have perished and the spanners now fall out the bottom.

I’ve prepared a scale drawing (attached) having measured the original roll… Would also like to include a 21mm spanner.

The custom spanner roll we made is very similar to our standard canvas spanner roll but more pockets and a ripstop base.

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Making Inserts for Panniers

Many people love the idea of having soft panniers but still having some form to them… Semi-hard panniers.

Naz always had cut down jerry cans in hers when she was travelling. They had rope handles

From the kitchen pannier

and one side was the kitchen which she could simply lift out at camp. This idea works well for our Big Fella Panniers and Postie (or large) sized panniers. You can get 20L plastic jerry cans cheaply then you simply cut the tops off, drill or burn holes for handles and attach rope handles.

For smaller panniers such as our standard size motorcycle panniers or small saddlebags another idea is to construct boxes from coreflute sheets. The sides can either be taped or you can use the angle joiners that are used for sheeting in bathrooms (see the picture in the gallery).

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Postie Bike

A new addition to the Honda collection has arrived today.. a CT110 postie bike. This is going to be Naz’s new adventure bike. There is a lot to be done.. other than great bike luggage. Hopefully she remembers to update it all on here!

We now have Postie Top bags and Naz is developing another size in the panniers more perfectly suited to the postie bike.

 

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Custom Panniers on a Quick Mount System

These panniers were developed with an initial enquiry via email about a set of Big Fella panniers without straps. Over a number of emails a design evolved that allowed a sheet of ply to slip inside the back of the panniers and a sheet of pvc on the outside. Mounted to these are the fittings of a quick mount system as many have on hard panniers.

The flap was shaped differently to cover the rolldown more than our standard panniers and there is a pocket inside the front for a piece of corflute for stiffening.

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New Custom Canvas

I have been very busy lately and some of it has been custom motorcycle gear and bags.

There were the tank covers for Ty and Sarah, who are about to travel the world on their BMW Gs650’s. You can follow their trip here at The Ride of Our Life. The covers were to fit two purposes: to hide the nice looking beemers a bit and to provide some extra storage via the molle webbing system. This was the first I had seen this webbing system that is used by the military. A wide range of pouches, water bottle holders etc can strap to the webbing.

 

I have also made a satchel for school books that is based on the panniers. The customer came up with the idea and I love how it has turned out. It is basically the same as one pannier with a shorter roll-down and a shoulder strap. This is made in pink and purple ripstop canvas.